Daily poll: Should school districts have the option to move school board elections to November?

Journal file photoA sign on the door of Franklin School in Kearny, a school board election polling place.

A bill giving New Jersey districts the option to move school board elections to November was to go before the state Legislature yesterday.

The measure up for consideration also allowed school budgets to skip voter approval if they are within the 2 percent property tax cap. Otherwise, voters would have to approve the additional spending.

School elections are now held in April in New Jersey, and all school budgets require voter approval.

Proponents say the idea behind the bill is to allow districts to move the elections to the date of the general election to increase turnout and save election costs — as much as $12 million.

The state's springtime school elections are "an embarrassing charade — an exercise in pretend democracy that should be stopped," the Star-Ledger said in an editorial.

Turnout for the April elections is historically low -- as few as 10 percent vote in some of the elections. Part of the problem is that the school board candidates are the only candidates on the ballot.

Moving the elections to November would give voters more reasons to go out and exercise their rights.